TEHRAN – The president of Iran said on Tuesday that if the United States stops the sale of Iranian oil, the Islamic Republic would prevent oil exports from leaving the Persian Gulf, in a speech cited on the presidency’s website.

Hassan Rouhani and senior Iranian military commanders have previously said they would block Gulf countries’ oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage between Iran and Oman at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which approximately 20 percent of the world’s crude oil passes.

“If the US wants to stop our oil sales, no oil will be exported from the Persian Gulf,” Rohani said in a speech in the northern city of Shahroud, as quoted on the presidency’s website.

Rouhani added that the US was not capable of preventing Iran from exporting oil.

US President Donald Trump’s administration re-imposed further sanctions on Iranian oil last month, and has said it is looking to bring Iranian exports down to zero.